And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

EXODUS 16:35KJV
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Exodus 16:35 (KJV)

What does Exodus 16:35 mean?

Exodus 16:35 says that the Israelites ate manna for forty years, up until they reached the edge of Canaan, a land where people already lived. This verse highlights how long God provided manna for the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness.

Moses is narrating to the Israelites about their time in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. The verse sums up the entire period when manna, a special food, was their daily sustenance. It marks the transition from wandering in the desert to arriving at the land of Canaan, showing that the manna stopped only when they reached a settled, inhabited land.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 16:35

  • מָן (man, transliterated "mān"): This word refers to the mysterious food provided by God. The use of this term emphasizes its uniqueness and the Israelites’ dependence on it for survival.
  • אַרְבָּעִים (arba‘im, "forty"): The number forty in Hebrew often represents a significant period of testing or transition. Here, it underscores the long duration of the Israelites’ journey and reliance on manna.
  • יָשַׁב (yashav, "inhabited"): This word means "to dwell" or "to inhabit," highlighting that the Israelites ate manna until they reached a land already settled by others, not just any land.

Why Exodus 16:35 matters

  • This verse clarifies that manna was not a permanent provision but was given specifically for the wilderness journey, ending when the Israelites entered Canaan.
  • It connects the daily miracle of manna to the larger story of deliverance and transition from slavery in Egypt to life in the promised land.
  • The verse helps readers understand the timeline of the Israelites’ journey, emphasizing God’s faithfulness over a long and difficult period.

Where else these words appear

“manna” Hebrew H4478 · used in 12 verses

  • Exodus 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
  • Numbers 11:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
  • Deuteronomy 8:16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

“borders” Hebrew H7097 · used in 87 verses

  • Genesis 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
  • Joshua 4:19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
  • Psalms 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

“Canaan” Hebrew H3667 · used in 91 verses

  • Genesis 9:18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
  • Genesis 45:17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
  • Numbers 35:14 Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.

“forty” Hebrew H705 · used in 124 verses

  • Genesis 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Deuteronomy 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:36 And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.